Infestation in the Lost Woods
by CreativeLiterature
Summary: Loose spin off to Subjugation of the Sages. The Sage of Forest is captured unaware when a creature from the netherworld holds her hostage in an attempt to secure the sacred Medallions. However, the battle proves brutal when the Sages' celestial powers falter in the face of such evil...


_A/N: This fanfic is based more on action scenes than canon, and replaces Sages Rauru and Nabooru with Zelda and Ganondorf, respectively. I like Zelda as light and Ganondorf with dark, but all Sages fight together. Best to read my fanfic 'Subjugation of the Sages' first. Thanks for reading._

**INFESTATION IN THE LOST WOODS**

Saria wandered through the Lost Woods, occasionally stumbling on a root or two. This was most bizarre. Her forest seemed to be withering, growing at an alarming rate to senses she could not perceive -

WHAM.

Out of nowhere, an errant root knocked her erstwhile and she staggered, unable to comprehend where this act of ferocity had began. "Ouch!" she clutched her head, glancing around at the canopy of trees which seemed to close in around her, darkening the forest floor.

Hurriedly, she ran. No longer knowing her way through to freedom, she took turn after turn, avoiding a spiked log that tumbled into her path and coming upon the labyrinth which fronted the Forest Temple. Malevolently, eyes seemed to watch from errant treetops as she crossed the small bank, alert to the whispers and scurries that met her ears.

"Ah! Deku!" she cried, crouching for cover as a Deku Scrub murderously popped his head above ground and fired a nut bomb at her. It collided and sent her sprawling, painfully to the thicket grass. "What - "

The grass seemed to grow, so that its individual blades were crawling up her arms and legs, snaring her tight though she strained to break free. "Let go!" she demanded, green eyes glowing bright. "I command you, as the Sage of Forest - "

But the forest was no longer under her control. Vines from the trees shot out and entangled her so that she hung above the labyrinth, looking upon the path leading up to the Forest Temple, its ivy columns just visible. Her breathing stilled in the air, wrists and legs bounded tightly like a star shape, bare mist air cold on her skin.

"Who - " she breathed in the mist that began to swamp her vision. "Who are you?"

Slowly, the shadow formed and became somewhat human, though it was an evil presence.

"The Sage of Forest," it chuckled, to itself. "I will have fun with you - "

"You will not!" cried Saria, straining against her restraints. "I, Sage of Forest, combat strife with life!"

Green pulses filled her vision and veins, so that she became almost celestial - but to no avail.

"In my presence, you will find no mercy. Your Medallion is mine to command."

"You c-coward!" spat Saria, goading him. "If you think you can defeat me in my celestial form, you're sorely - "

Hacking coughs interspersed with laughs engulfed the shadowy figure. "Indeed, you're right about that. I am in no fit state to challenge you in celestial form. That is why I will take it by force."

* * *

Atop her castle balcony, Queen Zelda felt the stirrings of evil and glanced up, at the sunset forming from the edge of Hyrule. The tug at her heartstrings bade her interest to the east, and focused upon Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods.

"What is it, my love?" asked the foppish, aristocratic man for whom she had married for diplomacy.

"Nothing," Zelda told him, but she knew there was more to it. "Excuse me."

Taking her skirts in her hands, she ran across to her bed chambers once out of sight of her husband or guards, kneeling before her bed so that she could pray.

"Darunia, Ruto, Ganondorf, Impa… I believe our Sage of Forest is in trouble. One of you must investigate."

"Not you, Darunia," warned Impa. "You'll burn half the forest down. I'll do it - "

"Be careful," warned Zelda. "This presence… it is malevolent, more than I can describe."

* * *

Impa, Sage of Shadow and descendant of Sheikah warriors, entered the valley that belonged to the Kokiri. Children scampered about, wearing green tunics while Deku chatted with one another and plants Baba waved in the breeze.

"Have you seen the Sage of Forest?" inquired Impa of one. Several shook their head no.

"Have you tried the Lost Woods?" ventured one youth. "That's where the temple is."

"I know that," said Impa wryly, heading up the path which led to the intertwining maze of forest.

Once inside, there was a heavy, sombre presence she could not describe, just as Zelda had said. But Impa was the Sage of Shadow for good reason, and an extremely good fighter. She drew her sword as she ventured forth into the forest, muttering incantations under her breath which allowed her to better understand the unspeakable terror that lay within. She could not concentrate with this darkness clouding her mind; a kind of tyranny unusual to her preferred weapon of shadow…

Fear tingled at her spine, quite unusual for her. She found the path she was looking for, eyed carefully the vines which lay dormant for now and emerged into the clearing where the labyrinth stood before her.

"Saria?" she called, immediately ducking as a treetop vine lashed out at her. With a slice of her sword she withered it and, squirming, it still tried to nab her feet. Another slice and the vine was pitifully wiggling towards her, split in two. The labyrinth seemed to shift before her eyes, bordering the moat outside so that it was a field of dead poppies.

Cautiously, Impa walked further inside and the hedge secured itself. The path to the temple was beyond, but whispers in her ear told her danger lay ahead.

"Whoever commands this temple! Come out and reveal yourself!" Impa shivered in the unearthly chill.

Slowly, the shadowy figure emerged and materialised into a short, waddling figure robed in brown, carrying a eerie lantern in one hand and a stabbing sword in the other. Its black eyes stared Impa down, with the faint Forest Medallion glowing through its apparel.

"You!" Impa raised her sword to the creature. "What have you done with Saria?"

It spoke a language she didn't understand, then realised whoever this madman was, his embodiment within the Forest Medallion must have transfigured him horribly. Whatever it was - Impa would take it out.

"Prepare to die!" Impa rushed on high, raising her sword as she leapt at the beast -

Ghostly apparitions not unlike Poes shot out from the lantern and fogged her brain, so that her slice was a mess, stumbling in pain upon the grass floor. The creature moved slowly, raising its blade while the ghostly apparitions held Impa still.

"I, Sage of Shadow," Impa's teeth chattered. "Within the night, I will smite!"

Glowing darkly, she broke free of the eerie bonds and leapt back, her demon hide red with black wings, clawed hands and feet with shadow coursing through her veins. She roared in might and sped at the creature, sentient shadows rushing forth to do battle -

The clash was epic. The creature smashed its lantern upon the ground, where countless apparition Poes fed on Impa's soul. Her only response was to summon the shadows which danced about in the moonlight, to hold back with all their force the enemy's creature's hand from plunging its sword into the Sage of Shadow.

"Ugh - ah!" Impa clutched her head, unable to understand how this creature had such unparalleled power. She stepped back, senses tingling with fear for it was apparent this creature had some sort of evil advantage -

"You will not take Saria! I will fight for Hyrule, the Sages and all of its people!" Impa raised a threatening, clawed finger at the creature which began to recover, the shadows which threatened it disappearing slowly.

Countless, dark orbs began to swarm about Impa, pulsing with the same beat as her heart as she collected all of her power, summoning the Shadow Medallion to bestow upon her its mightiest attack:

"I, Sage of Shadow - smite you to the ends of the earth!"

Slowly, the entire fabric of the air became engulfed in shadow, and within darkness Impa imploded the millions of tiny, shadow orbs that had grown bountiful as she released it all in one final effort. As the mist parted and the forest relaxed, so too did the hold that the creature had on the forest, on one knee and breathing heavily, the creature was a terrible mix of faces, none decipherable, skin and teeth parted, horrible raw-red scales and ghastly murmurings.

Impa barely managed to stay upright. Here she had expended all her energy and kept the creature hanging in limbo, but she had no power to finish it off. Her vision swam before her eyes, as the Forest Medallion which had glowed in alarm at losing its host' energy, solidified into certainty as the apparently impervious creature recovered.

"Wha - "

At the moment before the creature sliced its knife through the air to Impa's throat, a column of light descended upon the clearing from the heavens and engulfed the Sage of Shadow, preventing further harm. The knife swing sailed through the transparent Sheikah, who ascended within the protective column up into the sky.

"Damnit!" cried the half-human, half creature monster. "Who are you to wield such power?"

Fire broke out in one concentrated region as the Sage of Fire landed upon the forest floor from high, a Goron wrestling his muscular arms ready for battle and facing the creature murderously. Icicle dewdrops blanketed another section, freezing in place the vines which shot out and breaking them into tiny tendrils, as the Sage of Water burst from the moat which surrounded the hedge fence and landed beside Darunia.

"You - !" pointed the creature, some sort of pig beast man standing on two legs. Faintly the Forest Medallion remained on his chest, while lonesome vines snapped like serpents at the opposing sages. "I will take you down as well! Your coward Sage - "

"Rrraaar!" cried Darunia, rushing forward with ample Goron strength.

"Take this!" the Zora sent a wave of icicles which swept through the damp grass and solidified upon the creature.

The creature shook off the chills, widening a net of vines into which the Goron bashed through but did not anticipate the lash from the creature which struck out at his very _soul_. Darunia flew backwards, surprised at the ghostly chills which gave him nightmares, sprawled on the ground and writhing in pain while Ruto, who had caught this moment of horror, faced the creature with renewed determination.

"You will pay for that - and for harming Saria!" Ruto's sapphire eyes glowed. "I, Sage of Water - "

The grass grew to alarming lengths beneath Ruto's feet and tripped her ankles by lashing skin-deep gauges in her skin. Screaming in agony, she was unable to finish her sentence as the mist which began to surround them again melted the icicles Ruto conjured for defence and drained the Goron of any strength he had left -

"That is _enough_!"

With a resounding growl, the haze seemed to shimmer in the mist as the Sage of Spirit appeared in the forest. He was belted in leather, the Gerudo leader glancing at the weakened Goron and struggling Zora.

"You?" barked the creature harshly, who possessed malevolent magicks of his own. "I sense your spirit! You have no power here!"

"Hhhnnngggrrr!" the Sage of Spirit imploded his power within the forest, knocking back the vines and eerie mist that had converged upon the field. Harshly affected, the creature took a step back, wincing through the tingling.

"I am the leader of the Gerudo! And I will allow nobody to threaten the land of Hyrule!"

Furious, he tore forth to materialise behind the creature with his great sword already drawn and raised - the blade snapped against the scales of the beast, momentarily surprising the Gerudo and allowing the advantage to go to the creature, who with all his might expelled the force of the Forest Medallion by uttering, "DIE!"

The shock wave of emerald green light blasted back the Sage of Spirit who was caught unaware, blasted right up to the feet of where the steps to the Forest Temple lay. Turning his attention to the Goron and Zora who were slowly regaining energy, he snapped his fingers and at once, strong vines held them tightly against their attempted escape.

"Zelda!" cried the Zora weakly. "We need your help!"

"No - "! cried Darunia and Ganondorf.

Descending from the heavens, Zelda was engulfed in the column of light which had scooped up Impa into safety. She was a blinding, golden angel with white wings spread wide, holding a crescent moon staff and a fierce expression of resolve.

"You? Hah!" shouted the creature. "You will do nothing without my say-so!"

Twirling her staff around, she raised it for the leaping swipe the creature afforded her, knocking it back but faltering a few steps in harm. She stomped her staff upon the ground, filling the immediate area with glowing light to heal her fallen comrades.

"My Sages! I call upon you now to combine our strengths and defeat this evil creature!"

"You'll do no such thing!" cried the creature. "I have succumbed you all to my strength - what more power can you conjure?"

"Sages!" Zelda's voice rang like a harp, so shrill and bright it tugged at the celestial presences nearby. "Help me call upon the Triforce!"

"No - " shouted the creature, in wide eyed disbelief. "That's not possible - I have the Forest Medallion - "

"Triforce!" roared Darunia, Ganondorf from afar, Ruto weakly from her imposition, adding to Zelda's outcry.

The creature struggled within, as Saria's faded voice attempted to join the din but did not result in reaching.

"Hah! You cannot - " the meadow began to glow with a bright light. "What - aah!" screeched the creature, shielding its eyes and very presence from the embodiment of the Triforce, partly formed without the voices of unconscious Impa or enslaved Saria to call it true. Hair like thin strands of golden gossamer, practically transparent and stoic as the creature lunged forth, uselessly against the shield which protected it.

"You, evil creature," spoke the vision, through the mouths of the Sages near and far. "You will be banished by our blight!"

"Haaaar!" cried the creature, but it was too late. The warp that sent the creature reeling tore it atom by atom from existence, with no resistance possible. The goddess divine disappeared in a snap, dispersing the mist and the forest that was once enslaved, water trickling and leaves blowing in the wind, poppies anew.

Slowly, Saria stirred from beneath the ethereal bulk that had absorbed her person. She glanced around at her fellow Sages, congregating and collecting themselves, battle-worn. Impa descended in a column of light, renewed of vigor to join the circle. All six Sages were present.

"What - was - that - thing?" gasped Saria, still fearful and clammy though her jungle's smells reawakened her safe senses.

"I don't know," said Zelda doubtfully. She looked to Ganondorf who joined them from the path. "What did you sense of it?"

"Not of this world," he shook his head. "If it wasn't for the Triforce, we would be done for.

"How can such power exist?" asked Saria. "Our Medallions had next to no effect in its presence."

"It's done, for now," advised Darunia, sorely since his loss of strength also meant loss of face. "We have killed it."


End file.
